Tracy Idell Hamilton: AT&T Center, where art thou?

So the political action committee set up to push the venue — er, visitor tax has released a massive informational brochure about the tax, the projects it will fund and other details.

The thing can hardly be called a brochure. It’s 8 1/2 by 11, four pages front and back, filled with helpful information such as, “If you do not rent a car or stay in a hotel in Bexar County, you will not pay this tax,” and “Voters must extend the Visitor Tax to finance needed projects that will dramatically improve quality of life and enhance tourism.”

Absent from this action-packed campaign piece are any photos of the AT&T Center, and just four tiny bullet points about the $75 million to be spent on the arena if the measure passes. No mention of that number, either, just the $100 million total for the rodeo barns, the Freeman Coliseum and the AT&T Center.

No mention of the “enhanced fan experience” we’ve heard about in the past, either. Increased scholarships for rodeo kids is touted (on practically every page), as is the “protecting our investment” argument.

This looks to be a savvy move. The Spurs/arena deal is still polling the lowest among the four proposals, and one seasoned political watcher believes that the more people learn about that part of the deal, the more inclined they’ll be to vote against it.

In 1999, it was all about the team demanding a new arena. This time, the campaign can focus on every other proposal, and even the rodeo part of the arena deal, allowing the Spurs to fade into the background.

Vigorous opposition could upset this strategy, of course. And while the rental car companies have been quiet recently, word is they’re still planning to bankroll a fight. Perhaps that’s when we’ll really learn how much we love our Spurs.